Dysfunctional Family - Season 1 - Episode 15

Episode 4 years ago

Dysfunctional Family - Season 1 - Episode 15

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A DAY EARLIER…
Donald watched his sleeping wife and wondered how it came to be that he selflessly loved that puzzle of a woman. Like for the past many weeks, she’d been having nightmares, like she had been having earlier in their relationship and still she couldn’t confide in him. He knew she had a secret, or secrets, and wasn’t ready to divulge them.
He kissed her forehead and went to shower. Donald was getting dressed in readiness for work when Juliet woke.

She yawned and stretched her arms. “What’s the time?”
“You slept in, sweetie. It’s almost 7.”
“Gosh,” she quickly got out of bed. “Am so sorry, honey.”

“It’s fine..It’s not as if this is the first time you’re waking up late, is it?”
“That’s so mean!” she playfully hit him on the chest before helping him adjust his necktie.

“You slept like a baby today, my lovely Juliet. Had a nightmare free night, I assume.”
She grew tense. “I guess I can say I didn’t have that specific nightmare.”
“What is the bad dream all about anyway?”
“Not again, Donald.”
“I’m your husband for crying out loud! Why can’t you trust me enough to share your troubles with me?”
“Because…” she couldn’t finish her sentence and went to sit on the bed.
Donald joined her. “Because of what?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it.”
“Mmmmph,” he blew out a breath in frustration. “You always don’t wanna talk about it. Don’t I have the right to be curious?”


“Curiosity killed the cat, I’m sure you know the saying. Some things when let out would just do us more harm than good…destroy our relationship even. I reckon you let sleeping dogs lie.”

There was no beating a dead horse, that was Donald’s perception of the current situation.
Juliet had built an invisible fortress around her heart to shield her emotions and he knew whatever secret lay beyond that fortress would break her. He could tell just from looking into her eyes that it was slowly eating her up inside.


“Since we’re focused on sayings today,” said Donald curtly. “You do know nothing remains hidden forever, right? One day, the truth shall come to light.”
“And that day ain’t today. Aren’t you going to run late for work?” she asked him, in a bid to distract him.
“That day will come, Juliet.” Donald got up to go and strap his wristwatch on.


☆☆☆
Amos was having one of his bad days. He hated school, he sure did. And he hated Religious Education as much as he did school. He was busy jotting down some lyrics for a rap song he’d one day like to sing when he heard the class burst out with laughter. From the look of things, the joke was on him as everyone was laughing while looking and pointing fingers at him. Alice inclusive.
He felt rage boil inside but calmly said, “What’s funny?”


“You dare ask the class such when you’re the one making a joke out of yourself?” came the R.E teacher’s stern voice. “I asked you a question, Amos.”
“I didn’t hear you, madam.”
“That’s because you weren’t paying attention!” the teacher was growing impatient with Amos’ behaviour. “I asked you to define talent..and please don’t give me a wrong answer cause this is grade eight work and I believe you’ve gone through all this for like a hundred times now. You’ve written the grade 9 exam for practically that many times after all.”

The class sneered with laughter.
“Actually, I’ve only sat for my grade 9 exams-”

“Twice?” Alice mocked him. “And this is your third time, right? Please spare us all the info and just define talent. Some of us want to learn and move on.”

“Thank you!” said the teacher gratefully while beaming. Alice was one of her favourite pupils after all.

Amos couldn’t define talent to save his life so he barely shrugged. “Where will defining some stupid word take me? I don’t know what talent is and don’t even wanna know, y’all.”

“Then get ready to write your grade 9 exams for the rest of your life and prepare to become a beggar maybe. You’re pathetic, Amos Musongo,” the teacher pointed at a random girl in the back and asked her to define talent instead.
“You’re a b---h, madam,” said Amos loudly and abruptly, causing heads to turn back at him.

There were gasps from the pupils while the teacher’s jaw almost dropped to the floor.
“You heard me right, Madam Mwenda. Who are you to decide my future? Me, a beggar?” Amos laughed. He couldn’t believe the guts on the woman. “And you think just because you are standing there teaching us irrelevant stuff, you’ve automatically made it in life? You’re mad,” he paused to grab his bag and other belongings of his. “Don’t look at me you f-----g b---h. You’re mad for thinking I’ll be a beggar just because am not good when it comes to academic performance. You’re a delusional w---e for thinking school is the key to everything…don’t forget, am not handicapped.”
He took quick angry strides and once he was standing before the astonished teacher, added, “You get paid loose change no wonder you can’t keep your legs closed cause you badly need the extra money that you get from whoring around…F--k school! F--k you and everyone here! I’m done. I’m outta here!” Amos did a spectacular job walking out of the classroom knowing he’d just rubbed the bitter truth in Mrs. Mwenda’s face. Everybody in school knew she was banging one of the math teachers despite her marital status. Married.

A shameless w---e determining my future, he thought as he hurried out of the school premises. Wow!

After Amos left, the class was silent for over a minute as everyone was having a hard time digesting what had just transpired.
Where she stood, Mrs. Mwenda wished the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She’d never been this humiliated in her life. Much less by a boy young enough to be her own son. She felt naked.
“What just happened,” whispered a female pupil but her whisper was kind of loud so everybody heard.

Someone chorused, “I think Madam Mwenda just got roasted.”

And then came the roar of laughter. Unable to take the humiliation no more, Madam Mwenda rushed out of the classroom in tears and went to Mr. Sinkala’s office to request for a transfer. She had no strength to narrate all that Amos had told her. Why? Because he had said facts only.

Juliet grabbed her handbag and did a catwalk from the bedroom.
“You look nice, madam,” complimented Mirriam the maid.

“I think tantalizing should be the word..anyway, thanks.”
“What relish should I prepare for lunch, madam?”

“Um..I think just fry some dry kapenta and cook okra. That’s it,” she admired herself on her phone and put more lipstick on her lips. “I’m out..see you later.”
“Chai!” said Mirriam to herself once Juliet was out of sight and earshot. “Make up can really do wonders. Her pimples aren’t visible at all! I wonder who or what she went through all that trouble for. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s going to see a man which is unlikely. She’s obviously just going to show off to some of those her friends. And boy do I love that dress that she’s wearing to bits! I have to admit, the ugly woman has taste.”

Meanwhile Juliet unlocked the Chevrolet that Donald was renting for her. As she started the engine, she thought about how suspiciously sweet Donald was towards her lately.
Is he trying to bribe me into telling him the cause of my constant nightmares? “Keep on dreaming, honey.” She was on the brink of starting the engine when a text came through on her phone.

‘You’re running late..I’ve only got a few minutes to spare.’
‘I’ll be there shortly..’
She and David had a meeting which she herself had called for on the pretext of wanting to offer him the marital advice that he’d asked from her some time back when in actual sense all she wanted to do was flirt with him.

She put the car in reverse and the garden boy went to open the gate just for an angry looking Amos to march in.
Juliet glanced at the time and noticed that he was home quite too early.

Worried, she got out of the car.
“Might I ask what you’re doing home this early?”

“I quit school, mum,” replied Amos without caring to stop walking.
“You did what? But why, Amos?”
He didn’t reply so she was forced to follow him into the house and while she was at it texted David.

‘Something came up so I won’t make it, am so sorry…’ she loved Amos too much thus he was her priority come what may.
Juliet spent the whole of that afternoon trying to get Amos to tell her why he had quit school but he didn’t budge.

“Why did your brother quit school, Alice?” Juliet asked Alice as soon as she (Alice) hopped into the car.

“I don’t know, mum. Didn’t he tell you?”
“Would I bother asking your cheeky a-s if he did?”

It was all Alice could do so she rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. “Oh.”
No sooner had Donald stepped foot into the house that evening than Alice ran to him, “Dad, Amos has finally quit school!”
“What?”
Where she sat, Juliet almost sank into her seat.

“But why?” Donald asked.
Alice spared her mother a glance and smiled. “Well, he insulted our R.E teacher…..” she narrated all that had transpired back at school in the morning. When she was done, Donald angrily called Amos.
Amos appeared before him a minute later. “What now, Dad?”
Donald responsed by smacking his son hard across the face.
“Donald!”
“Shut the hell up, Juliet! I’ve had it with your nonsense! What gives this boy the right to insult his elders like that?!”
“Respect is reciprocal, Donald. Don’t expect Amos to be nice to her when all she’s doing is raining curses on him!”
“Just shut up, Juliet! Am going to teach Amos to respect his elders the hard way.”
Alice sat on a couch alone, shaking and crying. “What have I done? Oh my.”
Juliet was banging on their bedroom door which was locked from inside.
Her 16 year old son’s cries were tearing her apart. “What are you doing to our son, Donald? Please stop.”


“Am giving him the beating of his life!”
“Mum..help me!” cried Amos while Donald mercilessly flogged him.
Juliet slumped to the floor and broke down in tears. She could literally feel her son’s pain.


☆☆☆

Now that Amos was out of school and Donald had finally decided to grant Amos’ wish of not taking him back to school, Juliet leaned against the kitchen counter the next day while sipping on juice and wondered why she’d sit by and watch Lubesha finish school and maybe become a successful person in life. Amos’ fate now only lay in God’s hands but she thought she could control Lubesha’s fate so she sent the principal a threatening and nasty text.

In the afternoon, Juliet received a phone call from Principal Zimba.

“I believe this call is to certify you received and read my texts, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. And you won’t believe I’ve finally done the job! Lubesha has been involved in an ugly scandal all thanks to my handiwork.”
She was excited but didn’t want to sound so. “Really? Tell me about the scandal.”
“Your husband and you have to come all the way here first so that it can be juicy. Lubesha will be expelled from this school as early as tomorrow so just make sure you make it here as early as then also.”
When Juliet told Donald about the phone call and Lubesha’s pending expulsion, Donald didn’t believe her.

“You’re just making up lies just because your son disgraced us yesterday. I ain’t buying your story by the way.”
“Let’s just fly to Livingstone tomorrow morning, Donald.”
They bickered for a while until Donald called Principal Zimba who confirmed Juliet was telling the truth.
“Now you believe me?”
He still didn’t believe her but that didn’t stop them from flying to Livingstone the following day.
They were in Principal Zimba’s office in no time. They exchanged greetings and once settled, the Principal handed Juliet an envelope.

“What’s this?” asked a baffled Juliet.
“It’s an envelope,” smiled Agnes. “Open it.”

Donald studied Juliet as she hesitantly opened the envelope with a letter opener.
“Money? What for?”
“That’s K5,000, Mr. and Mrs. Musongo,” Agnes was tactically bidding her time. “I’ve refunded you your bribe, Mrs. Musongo. As I told you last time, I am not ready to frame an innocent Lubesha and get him expelled from this school. That’s just inhuman!”

Juliet was dumbfounded and the glare Donald was giving her wasn’t helping either.
What do I do now? she thought in fear.